Milly was our first Cocker Spaniel and is everyone's favourite, except ours, we don't have favourites (of course!). She never seems to be anything less than bowled over to see you again, even if it's for the hundredth time that morning. She often chooses to sit as close to you as she can, on lap, chest or shoulder, depending on your angle of slouch on the sofa. At the moment she looks like she has blonde highlights and is a bit of surfer dude, sort of Patrick Swayze in the original Point Break movie, but she assures us that this is just a phase.

Next, Cocker Spanielwise, we have the sisters of no mercy,Rolo and Rio. These two roan siblings whilst similarly roan patterned if not coloured (Rolo, on the left, is a chocolate and tan roan, and Rio, on the right helping Anthony, our plumber, a blue and tan one), have quite different personalities. Rolo is soft of maw and character, and loves nothing better than a large serving of fuss whilst sitting comfortably on a chair after having partaken of a goodly meal.

​Rio is more of the lean and hungry type who is always up to, if not actually on, something. Having already scaled the churchyard wall on several occasions, she has now worked out how to climb up a tree onto the oil tank to harass the nesting pigeons and say hello to the lady next door. Perhaps we need to take her crampons away.

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And there's more, namely two smaller Cocker Spaniels who never let their more diminutive stature mean that they go unnoticed. Bonnie, she of the black and white coat, is an unreconstructed ball chaser who would put any retriever to shame. Amber, by name and by colour, is forever in search of a warm lap to lie back and fall asleep in and make the contented noises and faces that speak of a luxury rarely seen outside of high end leisure industry advertising. ​​

​Elsa and her sister Rosie are our first foray into show Cocker Spaniels. The picture on the left is of Elsa, but it can be hard to tell them apart when their collars are hidden beneath their golden manes. They share many of the same hobbies, including barking at pigeons and excavating the lawn, though they each claim that it was the other one that was doing it when caught red-pawed.